Poole Pirates Season 1978 Compiled by Dave Allan First published March 2016 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This file was only made possible thanks to the invaluable contributions of the following: Steve Wilkes & Gary Done (Ellesmere Port & 1978 Speedway Mails) Stuart Staite-Aris & associates (Coventry) Mike Hunter (Edinburgh) Brian Collins (Internationals) Mark Aspinell (Rye House) Gary Weldon (Boston) Steve Ashley (Boston & Leicester) John (Hull) Colin Jewes & Phil Johnson (Cradley Heath) Arnie Gibbons (Reading) Mark Fellows (Wolverhampton) Matt Jackson (Sheffield) Neil Fife (Newcastle) David Housely (Various) Keith Corns (Various) The knowledgable members of the British Speedway Forum and the Easy, Tiger! Forum RACECARDS The following symbols are in use throughout this file: R/R Rider replacement N Rider replaced by reserve TS Rider replaced by tactical substitute R Rider did not finish for reason other than fall or exclusion EF Rider suffered engine failure and failed to finish F Rider fell and did not remount FX Rider fell and was excluded from race or rerun FN Rider fell and was unable to take his place in rerun E Rider excluded for starting offence (including tape touching & breaking, delaying start, etc.) M Rider excluded under two minute rule X Rider excluded for any other reason not E or M. Reason for exclusion noted where known. NS Rider failed to start but was not excluded or replaced NTR New track record ETR Equals track record Reruns are not assumed, they are only recorded where reported. (guest) Rider is making a ‘full and proper’ guest appearance (loanee) Rider has been borrowed from home track to make up the team Poole Pirates 1978 Date Home Away Event Result Notes 15/03/1978 Poole Swindon Champagne Trophy L1 Rained Off 22/03/1978 Poole Swindon Champagne Trophy L1 Rained Off 24/03/1978 Poole Exeter Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup 37-41 25/03/1978 Swindon Poole Champagne Trophy L1 Rained Off 27/03/1978 Exeter Poole Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup 58-20 29/03/1978 Poole Wimbledon Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup 41-37 05/04/1978 Poole Bristol Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup 44-34 06/04/1978 Wimbledon Poole Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup 48-30 10/04/1978 Reading Reading v Bristol v Poole v Wimbledon Four Team (pairs) 23 v 24 v 23 v 26 12/04/1978 Poole Birmingham Speedway Star KOC R1 L1 48-30 15/04/1978 Coventry Poole Gulf British League 53-25 17/04/1978 Birmingham Poole Speedway Star KOC R1 L2 37-41 19/04/1978 Poole Halifax Gulf British League Rained Off 22/04/1978 Belle Vue Poole Gulf British League 47-31 26/04/1978 Poole Reading Gulf British League Rained Off 28/04/1978 Bristol Poole Gulf British League Rained Off 03/05/1978 Poole Wolverhampton Gulf British League 43-35 10/05/1978 Poole Halifax Gulf British League 46-32 17/05/1978 Poole VW Grand Prix/World Championship Qualifying Round Individual Tony Davey 24/05/1978 Poole Cradley Heath Gulf British League 44-34 29/05/1978 Reading Poole Gulf British League 38-40 31/05/1978 Poole Belle Vue Gulf British League 35-43 01/06/1978 Sheffield Poole Gulf British League Rained Off 07/06/1978 Poole Swindon Speedway Star KOC R2 L1 Rained Off 10/06/1978 Swindon Poole Speedway Star KOC R2 L1 36-42 14/06/1978 Poole Reading Gulf British League 41-37 16/06/1978 Bristol Poole Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup 38-40 17/06/1978 Cradley Heath Poole Gulf British League 42-36 19/06/1978 Reading Reading v Belle Vue v Bristol v Poole Four Team (pairs) 26 v 30 v 21 v 19 21/06/1978 Poole Swindon Speedway Star KOC R2 L2 36-42 23/06/1978 Wolverhampton Poole Gulf British League Rained Off 28/06/1978 Poole King's Lynn Gulf British League 43-34 29/06/1978 Sheffield Poole Gulf British League 43-35 01/07/1978 King's Lynn Poole Gulf British League 39-39 05/07/1978 Poole White City Gulf British League 53-25 12/07/1978 Poole World Championship British Semi-Final Individual Tony Davey Poole Pirates 1978 Date Home Away Event Result Notes 14/07/1978 Bristol Bristol v Exeter v Poole v British League Select Four Team 38 v 25 v 10 v 23 15/07/1978 Swindon Poole Speedway Star KOC R2 R L1 37-41 18/07/1978 White City Poole Gulf British League 38-40 19/07/1978 Poole Swindon Speedway Star KOC R2 R L2 49-29 22/07/1978 Halifax Poole Gulf British League 49-27 25/07/1978 Weymouth Weymouth v Bristol v Exeter v Poole Four Team 23 v 31 v 15 v 27 26/07/1978 Poole Ipswich Gulf British League 42-36 28/07/1978 Poole Leicester Gulf British League 45-33 01/08/1978 Leicester Poole Gulf British League 43-35 04/08/1978 Poole Belle Vue Speedway Star KOC R3 L1 34-43 05/08/1978 Belle Vue Poole Speedway Star KOC R3 L2 44-34 09/08/1978 Poole Blue Riband Individual Malcolm Simmons 11/08/1978 Poole Sheffield Gulf British League 51-27 16/08/1978 Poole Swindon Gulf British League Cancelled Due to British Final 18/08/1978 Poole Swindon Gulf British League 43-35 23/08/1978 Poole Wimbledon Gulf British League 39-39 25/08/1978 Bristol Poole Gulf British League 51-27 28/08/1978 Hull Poole Gulf British League 41-37 30/08/1978 Poole Hull Gulf British League 48-30 04/09/1978 Birmingham Poole Gulf British League 39-39 06/09/1978 Poole Bristol Gulf British League 46-32 08/09/1978 Hackney Poole Gulf British League 40-38 09/09/1978 Swindon Poole Gulf British League 42-36 13/09/1978 Poole Hackney Gulf British League 49-29 19/09/1978 Weymouth Poole Inter-League Challenge 46-31 20/09/1978 Poole Strongbow Best Pairs Best Pairs Dave Morton & Jim McMillan 27/09/1978 Poole Coventry Gulf British League 38-40 29/09/1978 Ipswich Poole Gulf British League 41-37 04/10/1978 Poole Exeter Gulf British League 45-33 05/10/1978 Wimbledon Poole Gulf British League 42-36 08/10/1978 Eastbourne Poole Colin Goody Testimonial 42-47 11/10/1978 Poole Birmingham Gulf British League 53-25 13/10/1978 Wolverhampton Poole Gulf British League 45-33 16/10/1978 Exeter Poole Gulf British League 47-31 Poole Pirates v Swindon Robins Wednesday 15th March 1978 (Champagne Trophy, 1st Leg) Meeting postponed - rain Poole Pirates v Swindon Robins Wednesday 22nd March 1978 (Champagne Trophy, 1st Leg) Meeting postponed - rain Poole Pirates v Exeter Falcons Friday 24th March 1978 (Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup - Western Sector & Easter Trophy, 1st Leg) Poole Pirates 37 TOT BP 1. Malcolm Simmons 2 3 3 3 11 0 2. Andrzej Tkocz 0 1 3 0 4 0 3. Christer Sjosten 3 2 1 1* 7 1 4. Colin Gooddy 0 FN N TS 0 0 5. Neil Middleditch 2 2 2 2* 2 10 1 6. Martin Yeates 2 2* 0 0 1* 5 2 7. Sean Willmott (guest) 0 0 0 0 0 Exeter Falcons 41 TOT BP 1. Scott Autrey 3 3 3 3 12 0 2. Peter Prinsloo 1 1 1* 2* 5 2 3. Vaclav Verner 1 2 3 1 7 0 4. Jan Verner 3 3 1* 0 7 1 5. Steve Koppe 1 1 2 0 4 0 6. Reidar Eide 3 0 2 0 5 0 7. Les Rumsey 1 0 N 1 0 Ht. 01: Autrey, Simmons, Prinsloo, Tkocz, 66.6 2 - 4 2 - 4 Ht. 02: Eide, Yeates, Rumsey, Willmott, 68.8 2 - 4 4 - 8 Ht. 03: J. Verner, Middleditch, Koppe, Gooddy, 67.6 2 - 4 6 - 12 Ht. 04: Sjosten, Yeates, V. Verner, Rumsey, 67.8 5 - 1 11 - 13 Ht. 05: Autrey, Middleditch, Prinsloo, Yeates, Gooddy (f, ns), 67.4 2 - 4 13 - 17 Ht. 06: Simmons, V. Verner, Tkocz, Eide, 67.0 4 - 2 17 - 19 Ht. 07: J. Verner, Sjosten, Koppe, Yeates, 68.6 2 - 4 19 - 23 Ht. 08: Tkocz, Eide, Prinsloo, Willmott, 69.2 3 - 3 22 - 26 Ht. 09: V. Verner, Middleditch, Yeates, Eide, 69.0 3 - 3 25 - 29 Ht. 10: Simmons, Koppe, J. Verner, Tkocz, 68.4 3 - 3 28 - 32 Ht. 11: Autrey, Prinsloo, Sjosten, Willmott, 69.2 1 - 5 29 - 37 Ht. 12: Simmons, Middleditch, V. Verner, Koppe, 70.0 5 - 1 34 - 38 Ht. 13: Autrey, Middleditch, Sjosten, J. Verner, 68.4 3 - 3 37 - 41 Swindon Robins v Poole Pirates Saturday 25th March 1978 (Champagne Trophy, 1st Leg) Meeting postponed - rain Exeter Falcons v Poole Pirates Monday 27th March 1978 (Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup - Western Sector & Easter Trophy, 2nd Leg) Exeter Falcons 58 TOT BP 1. Scott Autrey 3 2* 3 3 11 1 2. Peter Prinsloo 2* 3 3 0 8 1 3. Vaclav Verner 2* 2* 2* 3 9 3 4. Mike Farrell 3 2* 2 1 8 1 5. Steve Koppe 2* 3 1* 1 7 2 6. Reidar Eide 1 3 3 7 0 7. Jan Verner 3 2* 3 8 1 Poole Pirates 20 TOT BP 1. Malcolm Simmons R 1 1* N TS 2 1 2. Andrzej Tkocz 1 0 1 1 3 0 3. Christer Sjosten 1 1 3 0 2 7 0 4. Mike Curoso 0 R TS TS 0 0 5. Neil Middleditch 1 1 2 2 R 6 0 6. Martin Yeates 0 0 0 0 0 7. Sean Willmott (guest) 2 0 0 0 2 0 Ht.